Why this obsession with superheroes are ordinary heroes no longer up to the job? Well what chance us mere managers.
How many superheroes can you list? It used to be that there was Superman and Spider Man plus possibly Batman, although technically he didn’t have any super powers. Now due to the popularity of the Avengers and X -men films it’s not just the comic book nerds who can debate whether Green Lantern is really a superhero or whether Thor would be a Superhero without his hammer. In this environment it is no longer enough to be courageous, to stand up for the weak against the strong, to take great personal risks to help others, you have to have a special power .
Like wise in the workplace , “we don’t need a hero” we need a superhero. We apparently don’t need some one with integrity willing to speak truth to power possibly at great personal cost. We need some one with the superpowers to see into the future, anticipate problems and select a winning strategy, the ability to stretch resources, to make a little go a long way, to do more with less, to turn failing organisations into world beaters.
But the more familiar we become with Superhero the more it appears that they are flawed humans , all be it with special abilities. Increasingly we are told stories of Superheroes with super egos to match, arrogant , overconfident and recklessly indifferent to the consequences of their actions. Now more people are asking do we need Superhero?
Blair Mcpherson former Director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
